Marshall will try to extend its three-game winning streak when it travels to Texas State for a Sun Belt meeting on Thursday night. The Thundering Herd lost two of their first three conference games, but they have won three straight games since then. Texas State had its three-game winning streak snapped in a narrow loss at Louisiana Monroe on Saturday.
Marshall opened the season with an 83-82 loss at Queens University as a 5-point favorite, but it proceeded to rattle off nine straight wins after that. The Thundering Herd dropped their only other game in non-conference play to UNC Greensboro on Dec. 13, and then they lost a pair of Sun Belt games to James Madison and Georgia Southern. They have responded with a three-game winning streak, beating Coastal Carolina, Southern Miss and Old Dominion during a homestand. Marshall was favored in all three of those games, covering the spread in two of them. The Thundering Herd are currently tied with five other teams atop the conference standings.
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Off to San Marcos, TX for Game 1 of 2 on the road this week!#BringOnTheHerd // #WeAreMarshall pic.twitter.com/q8zSZkpgSu
— Marshall Men's Basketball (@Herd_MBB) January 18, 2023
They have been a strong offensive team so far this season, especially in the paint. Marshall leads the nation in offensive block percentage, as only 3.2% of its shot attempts get swatted. The Thundering Herd are also in the top 30 in 2-point percentage (54.9), turnover rate and offensive rebounding percentage. They are the seventh-most experienced team in college basketball and will have a sizeable height advantage on Thursday. Senior guard Taevion Kinsey is in his fifth season as a double-digit scorer for Marshall, averaging 21.2 points per game. He is joined in double figures by Andrew Taylor (18.8) and Kamdyn Curfman (11.6).